AU accredits Nigeria’s counter-terrorism centre for West Africa

Summary

The African Union has accredited Nigeria’s National Counter Terrorism Centre as a Regional Centre of Excellence for counter-terrorism in West Africa and the Sahel.

Highlights

• The centre is under the Office of the National Security Adviser.
• The designation is meant to support AU member states through counter-terrorism cooperation and institutional capacity development.
• The AU said the recognition followed an assessment of the centre’s governance, training, analytical capabilities and coordination mechanisms.
• The accreditation process began with an AU-NCTC memorandum of understanding in September 2025.
• A technical assessment mission in Abuja in December 2025 produced a roadmap for the recognition process.